Austin’s Mexican American Cultural Center Reopens After Renovations, Expansion

Steps away from Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, surrounded by an ever-changing city skyline near the Rainey Street District, sits an innovative, newly renovated cultural center that’s ready to welcome the comunidad back into its doors for a long-awaited homecoming. 

After being closed for about three years as it underwent construction and renovations, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, also known as the ESB-MACC, will bring the community together on June 6 for the center’s grand reopening featuring dance performances, comida, live música, exhibits y más.

The expanded and renovated cultural center, now 55,000 square feet, includes new building features such as a teaching kitchen, revamped performance spaces, classrooms, gallery spaces, a new youth education wing, music rehearsal spaces with studio rooms, a shaded structure on its beloved central zócalo, or Perez-Ramos Plaza, among other indoor and outdoor upgrades.

Primary funding for the center’s Phase 2 project came from a 2018 bond, where $27 million was allocated for the cultural center’s new chapter. Additional funding came from parkland dedication fees, rental proceeds from nearby properties as well as an unused balance from a 2006 bond, according to the city. But the road to a renovated and bigger cultural center hasn’t been easy.

Dreaming of A Home

Before Rainey Street became an entertainment district, it served as home to many Mexican American families. Schools such as Juárez Lincoln University and Palm School, on the corner of Cesar Chavez Street and the I-35 frontage road, were once hubs for gathering, educating, and celebrating community before the both closed and the university building razed.

“Our space (ESB-MACC) being near where Juárez University was bulldozed and near Palm School, where some of our board members went to (elementary) school, is like living real history,” said Olivia Tamzarian, marketing representative for the MACC. 

The struggle for a local cultural center goes back to the 1960s and 1970s with the rise of the Chicano Movement. Local artists, cultural leaders, educators and neighbors came together to discuss the need for a cultural arts space with programming and education.

In 1974, the Brown Berets along with residents, launched El Centro Chicano and later the independent Chicano college Juárez-Lincoln University opened. But tragedy struck both sites when El Centro Chicano was destroyed by arson and the Juárez-Lincoln building was firebombed and then later demolished.

It would take decades, failed bond propositions and many uphill battles before the Mexican American Cultural Center held its grand opening in 2007. It was later renamed the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center after Austin cultural arts leader and political activist.

Angelica Navarro, chair of the ESB-MACC advisory board, said that local families and advocates who used to live in the area fought for the MACC to preserve the culture and to celebrate a place that was for the community and by the community. 

“Going back to the ‘60s during the Chicano movement, all of the hard work, struggles and fights that these people went through culminated into this beautiful place,” Navarro said. 

Sí Se Puede

From construction, budget constraints and pandemic closures, Tamzarian said that the people who make up the MACC persevere knowing that the result is rewarding in many ways. 

“Sí se puede,” Tamzarian said. “We’re creating a legacy and a place where creativity can thrive. If you build it, they [the community] will come.”

The MACC now has a variety of programs to offer for all ages to explore including at its Casa de La Cultura, which offers family-friendly workshops rooted in preserving Mexican American, Indigenous and Latino culture and traditions. Upcoming workshops include everything from ancestral movement to gardening traditional herbs and plants in their new healing garden. From dance studios for ballet folklórico to classrooms and multi-purpose spaces for groups such as the Tejano Genealogy Society of Austin to meet, the cultural center aims to have something for everyone to learn — and a place for them to grow.

A notable program of the MACC, the Caminos Teen Leadership Program will continue at the cultural center. The paid internship helps uplift youth in the area by educating them on Latin American and Indigenous cultures, creating art and content for the community and more.  

Tamzarian recalled a special moment from years ago that she still remembers fondly. While taking a lunch break at work, she noticed the teens from the Caminos program and the elders from the Genealogy Society came together in the music room, sharing stories and learning about Tejano history. 

“It brought tears to my eyes,” Tamzarian said. “We are not creating isolated experiences. This is oral history we are creating and passing.” 

Lily Zamarripa-Saenz, vice chair of the ESB-MACC advisory board, called the reopening a significant milestone for everyone involved, especially its returning members. 

“We’re all excited to come back home,” Zamarripa-Saenz said. “There’s an embrace when you walk into the MACC where you can celebrate yourself.”

Tamzarian said that even with the quickly growing city surrounding the MACC and the inevitable gentrification pushing families away who once called the area home, the center will continue to be a permanent resident off of Rainey Street on the shores of Lady Bird Lake.

“We will continue to thrive in the shadows of skyscrapers,” Tamzarian said. “Because this land is sacred. We are not going anywhere.” 

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IF YOU GO:

What: The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) grand reopening and celebration. The celebration will feature live music, performances, art activities, food, an artisan market and family-friendly activities.

When: June 6

Where: 600 River St., Austin, TX 78701

When: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

More Details: austintexas.gov/macc/grand-reopening